My Report of Korg's new 2.0 Software!

I downloaded the new 2.0 and the new resource 2.0 into my store's PA800 and left the PA2Xpro with the old operating system so I could compare sounds, styles, and most importantly the fill in volume issue.

Thank you Korg! You've made a lot of people happy!

First, all the fill-ins now have the same volume levels at all the variations. Many of you have complained for years that when you hit a fill in on most styles, the volume of the fill is louder than the variation you are playing or the one you are filling to.

Next, when you turn on the keyboard after loading in the operating system, the screen looks different and there is a new technology called "DNC"(defined nuance control) which shows up on the boot up screen. This technology does more what Yamaha's superarticulation does. You can play in the polyphonic mode, but the keys can also be played in Legato mode creating a more realisitic trumpet, sax, etc. There is also lot's of new scat voices, strings, guitars, etc. featuring this technology.

There are all new Performance memories and the original ones from version 1 are still available in the "sfx" bank.

I also played a standard midi file and I have the choice of now seing lyrics, notes (any track, bass or treble cleff) and combination of the two. If chords were in the song, you will also see the chord letters and types. If there are no chords, it will not show up like the Rolands can generate a chord track.

For customers needing user tunings such as middle eastern chords, there are now 4 pre-set scale tunings in the main display for quick changes.

There are many other new features which I have not checked out so far.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

Thanks George,
Santa's come early for Korg PA800/PA2x owners.
Appreciate the review.
I'm off to download.

best wishes
Rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by George Kaye:
[B]

George thanks for the review. Looks like there's some great new features in OS2. You know what I'll be doing tonight once I leave the day job

Thank you George. I'm always uneasy about upgrading immediatly when a new OS is offered. Your review will make it easier for me. I'm looking forward to your additional comments.
Ciao,
Jerry
P.S. Has anyone upgraded the Midjay and/or Midjay Plus? I'd be interested in comments about Ketron's new OS's as well.

Thanks for the mini-review/first impressions George.

One thing, I wish Korg HAD put in the "Chord Generator" ability of the Rolands - now THAT would've been handy, as it is, I don't understand why the showing chords thing (if they're embedded in the file) is a *new* feature as, as far as I'm aware, my PA1-X already has the ability to do that...

100% correct Hellboy.. It could do that from OS 1.5 on the PA1xPro...Provided they were in the correct format

And you know, if you do a search on the Korg forums, not ONE person asked for score reading/display...ever!! So where did that one come from?

They would be far better off fixing how it displays text lyrics (an issue since OS 1.1 on the original PA1)..In fact, imo, they should change it so you can load .RTF files,or even .BMP files.
The software system they are using is quite capable of dealing with those formats, Korg just won't program them in.

At least that way chord symbols above the line would stay above the correct lyric instead of being all squashed to the left when it's loaded!!! (There is a workaround, but it's ugly!)

Anyway, I had a look at the update sheet and it seems like a decent upgrade apart from all that, so owners should be happy overall.

Now if Korg can only admit to and fix hardware issues with early release PA2xPros....but THAT, is another story

Dennis

Dennis,
I agree about the lyrics display issue...the chords.

What are the .bmp and .rtf files? I've heard of that type, but don't remember what they are?

Also, we have it from Jerry at Korg USA that it is a top priority to get to the bottem of the rare user of PA2XPRO with hardware LED failures/lockup. Mine has never had a HW issue at all. Got it in March.

Lee

The OS also has a Grave Bug on the PA800.
Confirmed byt at least 15-20 people till now.
It has problems when using User Drum Kits.
This is just another dissapointment, as Denis
says, they didnt give us what we wanted but they
gave us what they wanted to give.

[This message has been edited by Nedim (edited 11-24-2008).]

Korg have done this on purpose to give an excuse for even ANOTHER OS upgrade

while they are at it the might just add some new coolness into the PA boards

i just cant wait to get home today from work to try the new OS!!

IMHO, My thoughts are that OS2 was already planned out even when they started shipping the PA800/PA2XPRO. Large companys typically have a long term plan and I think we just saw in OS2 what has been in work for a long time.

Now, we can hope that all of our bugs/concerns/improvements will be considered.

OS2 was a nice addition to my PA, and I'm grateful to have it..not on to some pressing matters for OS 2.1 etc.

Lee

Hi Lee,

RTF = Rich Text File an improvement over the basic ASCII text format which allows the file to save extra formatting data.

By allowing .RTF files, when a user writes a chart with the chord letters above the line, and directly above the word in the line that the chord applies to, that spacing and formatting would be retained.

With basic ASCII text (circa 1970) that layout and formatting is not retained.

There have been improvements on the basic text file format, and I believe the Roland and Yamaha systems, because they allow the later text format version, will read text files with the spacing (multiple, not just between words, as you would with chords above the lyric line)) as typed by the user...Not sure as I have not experimented with the Roland as yet, perhaps Fran/Diki can confirm.

Korg seemed to have only included extremely basic text recognition.. You also cannot exceed 28 characters per line of text, as it doesn't wrap properly (the old CR return code) and then your lyrics all get out of whack. Even then you MUST ensure a proper CR is entered at the end of every line.

I have to say this is ONLY with a fixed text file, and lyrics embedded within a midi file, scroll and work fine, although I suspect this is more to do with the .KAR file format which Korg would have adopted by default by allowing it to load/play .KAR files, than any piece of programming by Korg.

.BMP = windows bitmap graphic format, the standard graphics format.

The E-80 will allow you to link a .bmp file with a song entry. Not sure of any other keyboard that does this.

The advantage? You can hand-write your charts (I personally use postcard size cards with the chord progression on the top and any lyrics I need just typed in the bottom section), place any annotations you want anywhere ('coz it's a hand-written card ) and then scan it, save as a bitmap, and there you have it.

Of course as it is now in the system, you can amend the .bmp image as much as you want, to include for example, where in the song the markers refer to with little arrows or whatever you like, etc etc.

If SZ had posting facilities I could give you an example of how I have my smf's converted to MP3 files, and the .bmp image of the lyrics card embedded in the MP3 as album art...Works a treat on a laptop!!.

Anyway hope that explains it a bit further, and again Lee sorry for the longish answer

Dennis

PS: Just thought, I can send you an example via email? It would be an MP3 file, and all you need is any MP3 player (PC) that allows you to display album art...WMP is not very good, and I use Winamp, as you can easily increase the size of the album art screen to be as big as you like.

Most are pretty big files, but I am sure I have some that are around 5mb or so...Thats the down side, .bmp's are large files so they increase the size of the MP3.. I have not been bothered to go and convert them all to JPEG's as yet.. But I might ..Will have to see how good they convert down.



[This message has been edited by miden (edited 11-24-2008).]

Dennis,
Thanks for reminding me...of course I know both of those formats..being a 'IS' guy...I just didn't relate them to keyboards!

Yes, Korg needs to step up on the new format RTF. bitmap...would be nice but maybe a litte too much to ask (maybe PA3).

Example not needed, I'm with you now...
Thanks,
Lee

Various Modes


Four Quarter Tone SubScale (SC) Presets

Quarter Tone SubScale functions assignable to the switches and footswitch

Search window

On-the-fly TXT loading possible, when no lyrics data is contained in the Standard MIDI File or linked to a SongBook entry

Style Play Mode


Lyrics page added

Style Record Mode


Channel After Touch can be recorded

New Cue modes for Fills and Variations

Expression leveling

Import/Export SMF Separated by Markers

Song Play Mode


Score View pages

SongBook Mode


Score View pages

Sequencer Mode


Key Signature event can be edited

Sound Mode


Defined Nuance Control (DNC) parameters

DNC functions assignable to the joystick, switches and footswitch

Global Mode


Scale page modified

New Locks added

Balance slider can be programmed as the Acc/Seq-RT Volume control

Pedal/Footswitch Calibration page revised to add some calibration functions

The MP3 Player can be output from the Sub Outs 1 and 2

Write Quarter Tone SC Preset command added

Musical Resources


New Styles

New Performances based on DNC Sounds

New DNC Sounds

Improvements

Various Modes


A new polyphony algorithm improves the overall performance with a sophisticated real time control, which also takes psychoacoustic parameters into account. Even with denser arrangements, it is less likely you will hear cut notes now.

"Lyrics & Marker"is now "Lyrics / Score"

Zoomed slider and Tempo display do not appear in the Lyrics/Score page.

Context-sensitive Write Global

Chord Recognition


Chord abbreviations are now easier to read, by following the standard suggested by "Standardized Chord Symbol Notation (A Uniform System for the Music Profession)" by C. Roemer and C. Brandt.

Bug fixes

Sampling


Exporting a multisample as a .KMP file resulted in the Loop and Reverse parameters not being read correctly by the Triton

Media


When erasing a single Style from a .SET file on a storage device, it was also deleted from the internal memory (SSD-S)

This problem is only for user loaded .wav files, am I not correct?

Al,
No, It is with user created DK's using FACTORY samples.

Ones using user samples are OK.

Lee

OK, an UPDATE TO USER DK ISSUE...
The work around is to individually save each DK on OS PA800 v1.6 (or PA2XPRO 1.11), then save the SET too.

Afrer installing OS2 you load each DK back in. Once this is done, you can freely backup the DK as a SET and could reload it as a SET if needed.

The details are on the Korg PA forum.
Here: http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=39191

Meanwhile Korg IS working the issue and we will have a solution soon.

Lee

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 11-25-2008).]